A campaign to restore the railway connecting Skipton and Colne is set to begin in October, according to discussions held during a Gargrave Parish Council gathering.
Nick Tennant, deputy chairman of the Skipton East Lancashire Rail Action Partnership, informed council members that momentum behind reopening the twelve-mile railway corridor continues to strengthen.
Tennant explained that conversations had taken place with numerous community organisations regarding the advantages of establishing a transport connection between Skipton and East Lancashire.
He expressed willingness to return to a subsequent parish council session to elaborate further on how the line’s revival could serve the local community.
According to Tennant, older residents would utilise the railway service to reach Boundary Mill stores in Colne.
Additionally, a quarter of the student population at Craven College in Skipton originates from East Lancashire, and these individuals would greatly benefit from improved rail access to the town.
During Wednesday evening’s session, Tennant noted that Lancashire Combined Authority’s inclusion of the line’s revival as a fundamental objective within its inaugural long-term transportation strategy transformed the scheme into something that could genuinely materialise.
He mentioned that Sir Julian Smith, the MP representing Skipton and an advocate for the initiative, had indicated that public demand would need to be vocally demonstrated if residents wished to see the railway return.
Tennant stated that he had spoken with elderly residents who expressed their desire to travel to Colne for Boundary Mill, and he emphasised that restoring the line would deliver substantial advantages to the Skipton region.
A public petition is scheduled to launch on October 10.
In remarks published on the SELRAP website, Tennant stated that Lancashire Combined County Authority’s decision to prioritise the Skipton-Colne route within its transportation framework represented positive news for communities on both sides of the Pennines, particularly students and young people without private vehicle access.
He suggested that reconnecting Pendle with Leeds could rapidly deliver significant economic stimulus to underserved communities whose requirements have been overlooked by distant decision-makers for many years.
George Boulter, a 24-year-old resident of Malham who graduated from Nottingham University, explained that his education at Ermysted’s Grammar School had created social connections spanning both West Yorkshire and Lancashire, with Skipton serving as the natural focal point for these relationships.
He expressed that having the option to travel by rail to Colne and beyond would prove tremendously valuable for generations to come.
Boulter also observed that during his upbringing, he witnessed substantial numbers of visitors travelling to Malham and other Yorkshire Dales attractions.
Locally, road traffic reaches capacity during much of the summer season, and there exists an urgent requirement to offer visitors environmentally sustainable integrated public transportation solutions.